Changes
by Hana1225
Summary: Time moves, changes happen, hopefully for the best. 1886 and things that change around them. This story is undergoing a reconstruction, chapter 1 edited, the next will follow hopefully soon. Added some details and fixed some grammar errors. Sorry for the inconvenience. m( )m
1. Chapter 1

Summary: as the world continues to spin, as time passed by, things changed. And we could only hope it's for the best. Friendship 86K, one-sided 2786, mentions of 27K, and 1886.

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Belongs to Amano Akira.

A.N: my first straight pair fic, I'm so touched *wipe tears*

(( Cute ))

Many years ago, ten years to be exact, Miura Haru would say that the babies (Reborn, Lambo and I-pin) are the cutest. She'd visit them (and her crush, Tsuna, hey, you should take every chance that you could get!) everyday, and baby-sit them happily (thought sometimes she'd be annoyed by their behavior, especially Lambo) together with Kyoko. The brunette would dance and sang with the kids, or accompanying them to go somewhere (an excuse to play around! Oh, and she's more than happy to go to the cake shop with them).

Now that they're all grown up, she could only watch them from a far for they have their own, private life. She didn't hesitate to let Reborn on his own, because deep inside she felt fear toward him, only his cuteness when he was a baby that could ease her. She was a bit hesitated to let I-pin on her own. That hesitation immediately vanished when the braided girl could get money on her own by delivering ramen, and when she knew that I-pin was more than capable to protect her self.

Last was Lambo, the hesitation was so great that she cant even explain to the boy why she didn't trust him to take care of himself. He grew, sure, and even taller than her. He's popular and good with women, sure. But that habit to cry whenever he faced some problem never changed (and when he was bullied by Gokudera or Reborn, too). She finally decided to trust him when she saw he's also capable to protect himself (and the fact that he'd hang out with I-pin put her in ease).

With that, the cute things that she once adored so much left her one by one. Replaced by a yellow tiny bird that sometimes follows her around, just because she fed him from times to times (making sure that the owner wasn't there at the times she did). She'd visit the little bird (that later on she knew called Hibird), dances with him in the garden inside Vongola's base. And sing Namimori's anthem with him (the song that she got accustomed with after spending times with the little bird), without knowing that the owner of that little bird was always listening to their voice. She can't hug Hibird, but maybe someday she'd get to hug its master?

(( Companions))

Back then, Haru Miura he used to hang out with Kyoko and sometimes Hana, with an addition of Chrome later on. They'd walk from one shop to another. They'd tried on clothes when they entered clothes shop, passing cute shirts, skirts or dress to one another just for the sake of spending time together. Haru swore she heard the shops' attendants mumbling about 'a bunch of teenage girls who buy nothing', she chose to pretend she didn't hear anything. They'd tasted every new cakes in the café, or sitting on the bench in the Namimori town park, talking about anything that passed their thoughts. She'd baby-sit Lambo and I-pin together with Kyoko, while Hana was away because of her allergies and Chrome couldn't join them because she needed to practice with her so-called Master, Rokudo Mukuro.

Time passed, and things changed, nowadays Kyoko spent most of her time studying, or accompanying Tsuna. Hana was busy working in a company, and spends her free time with Ryohei. And Chrome's also busy, doing her jobs in the mafia world, or spending her time contacting her precious Mukuro-sama. Haru always sighs at the thoughts, sure, they visit her from time to time, but it seems like she's the only one with 'single' as her status. It's kind of lonely….

She slowly got used to walk in the shopping district all on her own on her spare time. That was until one day, a cute, chirpy voice called for her name. Her eyes would brighten and her smile would get wider, for that meant she wouldn't be alone. Hibird would land on her shoulder, and sang sweetly. Since then, it became a special time only for the two of them, and Haru was really relieved, for that mean Hibari hadn't know anything about her and Hibird.

'Would he get mad if he knows Haru's feeding Hibird and played with him without his permission?' that thought always pass her thought when she's together with the little bird. That's why she was relieved when Hibird come to her alone. She felt peaceful and oddly safe.

That peace was completely destroyed and shattered when Hibird called for another name.

"Hibari…Hibari…!" he chirped, flying just above her head. She glanced around nervously, only to see that the Cloud Guardian was, in fact, walking toward them. She was really sure she's as good as dead by then. She blinked when he stood before her, hardly believing the fact that she's still alive.

Hibari reached out his hand above Haru's head and Hibird landed on his hand. He glared toward the brunette, making the poor woman trembled ever so slightly. "So it's because of you that he lacks discipline lately." He said, grumbling. Haru winced at the tone.

"Ha-Haru is sorry, but…." She trailed off, but it seems like all the words that she knew chose that exact time to leave her alone. She didn't even try to continue, only staring at Hibari's head that Hibird currently occupies. She sighed in defeat, shoulders slumped. As if sensing her sour mood, the little cutie flew toward her and pecked her cheek lightly, as if encouraging her. She smiled at it, and lifted her head to look directly at Hibari's eyes.

"Can…..can Haru spends some more time with Hibird?" she asked nervously, glancing at the man before her, taking little steps backward. Hibari's eyebrow rose for a second, and then he turned away.

"Make sure to not interfere with his patrolling schedule." Was all the answer she got. She cheered, smiling widely toward the little bird. She turned to Hibari who's walking away at the time.

"Thank you!" she said loudly, sounding a bit too cheerful.

Hibari only spared her a glance, not bothering to reply. Really, just how lonely can that woman be? He wondered, and quickly shook the thought away. He'd just pretend he didn't know her.

Haru smiled, walking toward another shop. She stopped on her track, blinking, as if she just realized something.

She was surprised, because for the numbers of times she came to this place, never did she meet him. That must have meant it wasn't his patrolling route. So…how could he found her?

As she continued to ponder, Hibird flew off from her shoulder, and she watched him until he's out of her vision range. Come to think of it, Hibird always flew off somewhere, only to come back to her a few minutes later. Did it have something to attend? Or someone?

Haru quickly entered the shop after she apologized to the person behind her for getting in their way. Her eyes wandered, watching all the things on display as she continued her thought. For the little bird to come a short time after, did that mean the one he met was nearby? Who? Oh…. Haru blinked once again, then giggled at her own thought. No way…no way….she kept repeating in her mind, still giggling. No wonder she always felt so safe, and she would like to think that the reason she hadn't been hit on was because Hibari was around, scaring everyone and dampening everyone's mood to have fun. Not because she was not attractive. She decided then, the next time she meet him, she'd thank him. Maybe, if she wasn't too scared.

AN: This story is undergoing a reconstruction. I'm trying to fix the errors that I could find, while also re-reading this story. Because, to be honest, I don't really remember what this is about and where did I left it at. Hamuuu….I hope I get better at this kind of thing. I'll try to quickly edit the next chapters, but, at the speed I am now, it'll take a while. Auuuh….I'm sorry… (;A;)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: KHR belongs to Amano Akira.

A.N: Please try to enjoy this chapter as well! I hope it's better than before :3

Simple Reminder: This story is a fiction, it is in no way related to the real world. Meaning it was a pure, arranged, sweetened lie. If there were similarities, it was pure coincidence. …Uuuhm…well, maybe I added a little this and that that happened in my place, but…please don't mind it. By continue reading, you are giving me your consent to continue being lied upon, and that I hold no responsibility for this. Lying is bad, so could you swear that you dont mind being lied upon by me, of all people? Is that ok?

(Dream)

Haru's dream was to be a teacher, just like her father was. Even so, the thing she wanted to be the most was, of course, being a wife of her love. And when she found out that Tsuna's going to be the head of Vongola, her dream changed. She wanted to be a part of his family, thus her dream was to join the mafia and support him. And of course, it'd be way better if she could do it as his wife.

But after she was saved by Hibari from some random guys (it just happened to be Hibari's patrolling time, those poor souls), and then being left behind after being commented as a weakling, her dream changed.

That night, Kyoko received a call from Haru, who asked her to join a martial arts' lesson together. Kyoko could only stare at the receiver in her hands unsurely, wondering exactly what was going on in her best friend's mind, but finally agreed.

Since then Haru's dream was to be stronger, to prove that she's not a weakling, so that she would be able to help Hibari one day. Simply because she didn't want to feel indebted toward him forever.

(Job)

Haru's legs were starting to sway, but she needed to keep going. Her eyes were begging her to just go home and sleep, but she needed to keep them open. She's sweating and the thing she wanted to do the most was to take a cool she's not going to give up.

No. Not yet.

She finally got his trust after she joined The Foundation for a year. It's easy to get in The Foundation, because her brain's surely needed. The hard part was to get Hibari's trust and prove that she's useful. Now that she (probably) had his trust she didn't want to lose it. She didn't want to lose her chance to be useful for Tsuna and the famiglia.

Hibari was the leader of The Foundation, that meant he's her boss. And her job was to do what was told by her boss.

She groaned softly.

'Still', she thought, 'is looking for Hibird part of her job? Haru's boss really hates her! He knew Hibird will come to him sooner or later, after all. So why did he purposely told her to go away in this heat to look for it? Hibari Kyouya sure was a mean person!'

She pouted and complained inside her head. All the while looking up and down for a hint of yellow that seemed to be hiding in purpose.

Sometimes Haru thought her job was to keep Hibari amused. She wouldn't protest openly, thought. The least thing she wanted was providing him more entertainment by her useless attempt to go against him.

Never.

(Hobby)

Babysitting children, baking cookies, eating cakes with her friends, and cosplaying were her hobbies. And people would be able to find out just by looking. Those were still her hobbies until now, but people wouldn't be able to tell by looking, especially those in the same mafia business who only knew her recently.

She sighed, playing with the grass as she crouched down under the tree' shades. Sounds of something being hit could be heard clearly, along with the sounds of liquids splattered on the ground, Haru ignored them easily. She kept her eyes focused on the grass, and her mind on what's her mother cook for dinner today

After a long while, she glanced at the sound's source and sighed heavily. If her acquaintances saw her there and then, they'd probably think she's a sadist. She's not a sadist, if anything, she's a masochist. She's used to pain, especially mentally. Since her loves were unrequited, and yet she still somehow yearned for that person.

The person whom she loved chose her best friend instead, and they stayed friend up till this day. There was no way she would hate Kyoko. They promised, after all, that whoever Tsuna chose, they'd still be friends. And breaking promises definitely was not on her list of favourite things to do.

See? The point was, she's in no way a sadist.

She let out a weak 'Hahi' as the wind played with her short hair, messing her hair and cutting off her train of thought. Great, and she spent quite a while to do her hair too. The wind brought along the strong scent of blood and she frowned. She's slowly getting used with this, but could people really call her a sadist?

"What are you doing," more of a statement than a question (judging from the tone used), Haru lifted her head when the person walked away. Haru quickly stood, and followed him.

Can people really call her a sadist for following her boss and accidentally witnessing him beating down some assassins sent by the other famiglia?

She didn't enjoy watching the fights, it's not a hobby, really. She's not a sadist, her boss was. And if someone didn't believe it, she'd say her boss' name: Hibari Kyoya.

(Prince)

Every girl actually dreamed to be a princess, no matter how hard they deny it. Every girl wanted a prince for themselves, no matter how selfish that made them sounded. Haru envied Kyoko, who's cute and elegant just like a princess in those faerie tales she read and loved. Haru envied Chrome, who found herself a prince to protect her no matter when and where. And it definitely was not hatred that she felt when Haru's heart thudded painfully as she saw Kyoko walk beside her prince, who swore to protect the red haired one forever.

Haru shook her head violently, erasing the image. She's not going to destroy their friendship. She huffed, angry to herself. She threw a pebble toward a tree not so far, trying to get rid of the feeling inside her by doing so. Praying so that whatever ill thoughts that passed her mind would go away quietly.

"Hahii!" she jumped in surprise when something flew past her. She turned to find Hibird fluttering its wings just a few inches away from her face, she sighed in relief.

She reached out her hand and Hibird flew to her, resting on her finger. She recalled a scene from her old faerie tales' books which pictured a princess talk and sing to the bird perched on her hand, and giggled.

Just like this, in her working place, she could feel like a princess. That was if she could slack off unnoticed by her boss.

'Maybe' she thought, humming to herself and Hibird (Namimori anthem, of course), 'Just maybe,' she added as she passed colorful flowers planted carefully (the best for Vongola, even more, it's Hibari's territory, the best was a must), 'Haru's prince is someone around." She finished her thought, a smile formed on her face. Hibird flew, and she ran after it.

Haru immediately turned away and ran to the opposite direction when she spotted Hibari. There, in the direction where Hibird flew to, stood its owner, waiting for his pet to come to him.

'Please not that one, Kami-sama….' Was her pray.

(Princess)

When Hibari Kyoya was five, his mother once said,

"Hey, Kyoya, when you're a grown up, you must be a person who can treat a lady well." He didn't replied, automatically making his mother thought that he didn't understand what she meant.

"I mean," she smiled, "Make sure to protect the one important to you, your very own princess." She pinched his cheeks and he frowned, "Be the most charming prince," she added, smiling widely.

"Are princes great?" he asked, trying to make his mother let go of his cheeks. She nodded eagerly. Not too far, his father only sipped his tea calmly while reading the newspaper, clearly unwilling to participate in that kind of talk.

"Then I'll bite those princes to death, and be the only one on the top of world." He stated simply, his father reached out his hand and pat his head, smirking. His mother only frowned.

HIbari Kyoya opened his eyes to find himself in an adult's body, seeing a familiar ceiling in his work place. His eyes darted around his surrounding, and he then looked at the time. At times like this, Hibird's probably outside with that Hahi-ing herbivore. He stood, yawning, then proceeding to walk outside.

When he's outside, he spotted the herbivore and Hibird. He leaned his back against a tree, not bothering to go to pick up the bird, knowing that Hibird would surely come to him in no time.

They looked happy, that woman's dancing with Hibird flying around her. Hibari recalled a page in the book of faerie tales that his mother gave him (the book had been torn five seconds after he flipped through the pages). Where the schizophrenic and disillusioned princess sang and dance with birds, butterflies, and other animals.

Hibird flew toward him, with the herbivore following. But a few seconds after she stopped and ran to the opposite direction. Hibari raised an eyebrow. As a sign of acknowledgement and something akin to 'what the heck are you doing?' instead of normal greetings.

'I don't need princess.' Was his thought. 'Much less one like that.' He added, nodding in agreement to himself and walked away with Hibird perched on his head.

(*_*_*_*)

A.N: Uuuhm…because I'm rewriting each chapters, please expect the update to come really late, okay? I could only hope you will be able to enjoy this story more. :D

Please forgive the errors?


	3. Chapter 3

AN: This chapter is more Haru-centric and her family.

(Talk)

Up until now, Haru still lived with her parents. They lived happily like before, but sometimes they got into an argument because this kind of thing as well. She's twenty four years old already, and normally women her age are married, or at least planning to. And so it's time for a little conversation.

"Haru," her father called, putting down his tea cup.

"Otou-chan," replied Haru, acknowledging her father, taking more side dishes to her bowl.

"Haru-chan," her mother called, putting down her chopsticks.

"Okaa-chan," replied Haru, after swallowing her food.

"Why aren't you married yet, Haru?" they said in unison, voices filled with disappointment. Haru was thankful she swallowed the food already.

"Ha-Haru's really busy with works, so….so…" she tried to reasoned, face flushed in embarrassment. Her parents nodded in understanding.

"Alright, let's go to Haru's office tomorrow and find her a suitable husband!" her father said, firing up. Her mother cheered. An image of a certain person with initial H.K immediately entered Haru's mind, but she brushed it off quickly.

'Hahi! Why's Haru thinking about that person? Kami-samaaa…..'

"N-no! That's unnecessary! Haru….Haru can find a suitable husband by herself!" she protested her parents decision with all her might, it's going to be a long night.

(Terror)

When Haru was a little girl, she tended to do things that made her parents eyebrows scrunched up in annoyance. So as to prevent her from doing more bad things, they'd scare her.

'If you became a bad child, Namehage will come and eat you.'

That's what they'd say, along with showing her an illustration of Namehage. Unfortunately, she became interested with that monster, and immediately became a fan of it.

Years went by, and Haru's immune to any kind of threats. She can defend herself just alright. Not even Hibari's threat to bite her to death reached her, because she'd run as soon as she sensed him coming.

But, there's this one threat (a new one) that she cant brushed off no matter what, not even by running away. This new threat came from both of her parents, who continue saying,

'Go and marry someone… give us our grandchild…..'

Were the words scribbled on the note placed on her desk almost everyday.

(Prank)

In her everyday live, Haru's used to pranks. Like when she was fourteen, when a prank war occurred in her school, or when Lambo suddenly took interest in seeing anyone annoyed (that interest almost kill him when he pulled a prank on Reborn).

There were also embarrassing times because of the pranks, but she laughed them off as happy memories.

Ten years later, she still experiences pranks, especially from those around her, like her family.

Haru tiptoed her way passing Hibari's private room quietly, as quiet and as fast as possible. Only a few steps more, and she would be out of Hibari's hearing range and could run as fast as possible. But luck wasn't with her, no, more like luck abandoned her since she met her boss.

Her phone rang, and to her surprise, it's not the tone she usually used.

It's her parents' voice, saying,

"Haru! Go marry someone! We want a grandchild! No, make it two!"

A squeaked 'Hahi' came out of her mouth, and if the name being shouted wasn't a give away, that squeak totally was.

She turned her head toward the door fearfully, holding her breath, the silence made her even more nervous. A slight sound could be heard, and she jumped ever so slightly.

"You have five seconds, Miura."

With that being said, she sprinted off. She's so going to protest her parents later.

(Spy)

When she was fourteen years old, she was interested with spying. For her, gathering various information, no matter how useless and trivial they were, was a fun thing.

Her job's to get as much information as possible, thinking over them, made a conclusion, then reported them to her boss. It's fun if she ignored the death threats from inside (her boss') and outside (assassins from another famiglia and the likes).

As she was typing some new things in her pc, Kusakabe came and greeted her.

"Greeting, Miura-san, I was asked by Kyou-san to get your report," he said, nodding to the woman. She smiled at him, the looked around and get the report.

"Here you go, Kusakabe-san, thank you for your hard work," she said, handing him the report.

"The same goes to you, Miura-san," he replied, hesitated a bit, then, "Ah…I heard a rumor that your family has been pestering you to get married quickly?" he asked, unable to hold back a smile. Haru only sighed.

"Hahi…Haru knows that it's time for her to get married, but Haru still cant decide," she said, resting her head on her arms, "Haru still doesn't have a special someone…." She trailed off, sulking.

"Is that so….I hope you find a suitable person, have a good day, Miura-san," he said, nodding to her and walked away, with her report in hand. Haru smiled and waved. Only then Haru realized she forgot to ask where did he hear that rumor.

When he was out of Haru's hearing range, Kusakabe fished out his cellphone, and said,

"Would that be enough, Kyou-san?"

He was replied by a grunt, and if he strained his ear more, he'd hear a muffled thanks.

(to be continued)

AN: I itched to write about proposal and marriage, followed by their wedding. BUT, I still think it's a bit too soon. Borrowing the words of Keima (from The World God Only Knows), there isn't enough 'event' between the two to reach the happy 'ending'.


	4. Chapter 4

(Peace)

Haru sighed as she leaned against the tree's trunk. Today's the wedding of Tsuna and Kyoko. She breathed in the smell of grasses and the dried leaves and then breathed them out. She glanced at the place where the party's being held. She closed her eyes and recalled what happened a moment earlier.

[Being around so many people made her so nervous, but she wanted to stay. She's okay with talking with random people, but avoiding people who's trying to flirt with her without hurting their feelings proved to be difficult.]

[Watching all of them came in and out of the hall made her blood ran up to her head and started to pound, pound and pound.]

['Are you alright, Haru-chan?' the bride, who escaped from the guests along with the groom, asked.]

[She smiled weakly, she wanted to say everything is okay, but soon she felt it's hard to breathe, too many people….]

['Hahi…it's….. there's just so many people here, it's a bit….cramped…' she answered, and it's the truth. The first respond she got was a stare from Tsuna, and a giggle from Kyoko, 'Hahii…?']

['It's just that you sounded like Hibari-san….' Tsuna answered, eyes darting around, making sure the object of their conversation is nowhere near them.]

She could feel the warmth crept up to her cheeks. She shook her head violently, and sighed. She leaned back and closed her eyes, she sighed once again.

"Hahii…why did Haru say that?" she muttered to herself, cheeks slightly pink, "….Haru's so stupid…." She added slowly.

"Wao," a voice said sarcastically, she immediately opened her eyes and turned to see the owner of that voice, "Took you long enough to realize that," he stopped a few feet away from Haru and sat under the tree's shades.

"Hahi? Ha-Haru might be stupid, but saying that kind of thing is Impolite, Hibari-san!" Haru protested, cheeks bright pink. Hibari only snorted and lie down.

"Shut up, or I'll bite you to death," was his reply.

Haru knew she should be thankful he didn't kill her right there and then. She knew, but somehow ignored it. She crawled to the place he's lying at, she bent down, careful to not let her hair tickle his face as to not alert him. And she screamed right into his ear.

By the time he recovered from the high-pitched-scream attack, she already ran off. He spotted her purse lying not so far, he picked it up and smirked. He then threw that purse toward its owner, hitting Haru on the back of her head.

When a squeaked "Hahi!" was heard, he closed his eyes and lay back down, smiling.

(Fate)

Since Haru started working at The Foundation, she rarely got a day off. There's no day off for a mafia, of course, it's like a religion, once you involved, there's no way out, and she understood that really well.

Haru hummed to herself as she fixed her hair. Where would she go? She had no idea. She just wanted to take a walk. With who? She questioned herself as she picked up her purse. It'd be good if she could go with her friends. But Kyoko's still away on a honeymoon. Chrome's busy, and so is I-pin.

Her parents turned their head as Haru came into the living room, ready to go.

"Are you going on a date?" her father asked, full of hope. Haru grinned.

"No, Haru's going to take a walk alone," she answered cheerfully, making her parents sighed in disappointment.

"I'll pray so that you'd meet the one destined for you, Haru," her mother said, wiping off a drop of tears from her cheek.

"Hahi? Alright, then…Haru's going!" she said, walking away.

As she walked alone, Haru thought back of the conversation with her parents earlier, '….the one destined for Haru….' She thought, passing the lining shops.

When she was fourteen, the world 'fate' had such beautiful rings in her ears. The thought of having someone destined for her, isn't that sweet?

She decided to stop to buy ice cream, it's her day off, there's nothing wrong with spoiling herself, right? After she got what she wanted, she continued walking.

She licked her ice cream as fast as she could. She's not going to have them spilled on her clothes, no, thank you. 'if Haru's going to meet that destined someone…then…there'd be a surprise encounter right?' she giggled at her own thought.

So far she met no one familiar. If she's going to meet that destined someone, shouldn't there something to spark it to happen? Like, she slipped on something, then crash onto someone. She frowned, that's cliché.

And, what if that destined person's personality is as tsundere as…..she quickly brushed off that thought. She felt something collided with her and stumbled forward, but quickly regained her balance. She turned around to see a boy fell on the ground with a terrified look on his face.

Haru was going to ask him if he was okay when the boy suddenly stood and ran to his mother, crying. Haru turned her head slowly, and what she saw made her froze on her spot.

She wanted to believe it's an illusion, that someone from the Vongola played a trick on her, maybe Chrome.

"Get out of my way, herbivore, or I'll bite you to death," if it was an illusion, whoever did it really did a good job.

"C-chrome..chan?" she asked, hopeful. The one before her growled dangerously. "….Haru's sorry….." the one before her is not an illusion, unfortunately, "Haru will….wash the coat…Haru is….really sorry…"

When she was fourteen, the world 'fate' has had such beautiful rings in her ears, bringing hopes and made her heart thumped lovingly. When she got older, that word had such frightening rings in her ears, bringing despairs and made her heart thumped nervously.

That day, Haru came home carrying Hibari's coat, it made her parents happy, but it made her cry.

(Author Note)

Let's stop here for now, okay? Hmm…. I need more "events" to make them together. Sorry for any errors. m(_ _)m


	5. Chapter 5

Uuu~ thanks for those encouraging reviews! ^^

Disclaimer: Katekyoshi Hitman Reborn! And all its characters belong to Amano Akira

(Free tickets)

Haru had won so many free tickets before. From the lucky draw in front of the department store ("Hahi! Thanks to that, Haru could go to the onsen together with Kaa-chan and Tou-chan!"); from her teacher, for getting the highest score on the test ("Hahi! Thank you, sensei! Haru will work harder from now on," she thanked her teacher, "That's good, but next time I wont give any prize, no matter who got the highest score," her teacher replied, eyeing the movie tickets in her hands); from a radio program, for answering the questions right ("Congratulations, Miura-san, you can get your prize….." the voice said, "Yay!" Haru squeaked); she had won all of them.

"Hahi? A free ticket?" Haru repeated the words that she heard just now, "Why so sudden, Kyoko-chan? And you're still on your honeymoon period, right?" she asked, lying on her bed, resting her whole body.

She could hear chocking sounds from the other end of the connection, and grinned widely, 'Uh…Haru-chan...it's just, I think you'd be bored on your own, so I arranged a date for you,'

"Haru doesn't need a date…." She muttered, "but Haru'd gladly take the ticket, it's the ticket to go to that new amusement park, right? It's been a long time since Haru can play…." She said, smiling happily.

'Really? But I already passed the ticket to Dino-san, since he was going to Japan yesterday….he said he'd pass the ticket to someone else, sounds like a blind date, right? Isn't it fun?' the other said, giggling, 'after all, didn't you say your parents had been pestering you to marry lately?'

"….alright then…" Haru finally answered, she could only hope that the one Dino passed the ticket to were a nice person.

(To hell)

Under the ground of Namimori Temple, there's a building of The Foundation, go inside, deep….deeper, and you'd find the chamber of the descendant of hell. No one dared to go past unless it's really important, or if the main entrance was closed and they need to go through the other way (those unlucky souls).

Hibari Kyoya closed his eyes as he leaned his back, enjoying the quiet atmosphere in that place. No one dared to disturb him after all.

"Good Morning, Kyoya!" No one but this one person who walked inside without his permission. Hibari opened his eyes and glared at the intruder, "Eh? What's with that face, Kyoya? And to think that I'm going to give you…." He paused for dramatic effect, drawing out something from his pocket, "this free ticket to go to the amusement park!" he showed the ticket triumphantly, Hibari yawned.

"If you're not here for a fight, then go away, Bronco."

"Come on, you're too stiff, try to relax a little bit, Kyoya." Dino argued, but Hibari easily ignored him. The blonde sighed a heavy sigh, then turned away, "Alright then, I'll go myself…..oh, and Kyoya?" he called for the other, who was ready to close his eyes once again, "Haru-chan worked under your supervision, right? Can you give me her address?"

An eyebrow was raised, "Why do you want to know?" he asked flatly.

"Oh..it's just that seeing that I'm going to go with her, it might be good if I contact her now and plan our date together….." he said, shrugging, a grin found its way onto his face as he walked toward the door, waiting for his ex-student's response. In a split of second, the legendary pair of tonfas found their way toward his neck.

"Who told you you're free to go, Bronco?"

(Date)

Haru stood in front of the amusement park's gate. She glanced at the number of the gate, and glad she got it right. She took out her cell phone, checking the time. She came twenty minutes earlier. Today's not a holiday, and definitely not Sunday, so there's not much people there. There were only students who decided to ditch school, each with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Haru checked the time once again, there's stil five minutes from the promised time. She zipped and unzipped her jacket out of boredom, with a little anxiety mixed in.

She had been on a date before, but it was only a play-date with her classmate's cousins or siblings, with people she knew. A car stopped before her, and the door of the passenger seat opened. A blonde man came out of the car and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Haru-chan, sorry for making you wait," he greeted her, smiling. Haru's face instantly brightened.

"Hahi! Dino-san, good morning! Is Dino-san Haru's date for today?" she asked as he walked toward her.

"Ah…no, I'm not your date….oh, Enzio seems like he wants to play with you," he said, smiling, handing the green turtle to the girl, who happily accepted it. A cute chirping voice made her looked up only to see a little yellow bird flying toward her.

"Hahi! Hibird is coming too!' she said cheerfully as the bird landed on her shoulder, "Hahi?" was the next thing she said as her face darkened and her smile stiffened. She looked at the car right when another door opened, she then looked at Dino, who's grinning widely.

"Ha…hahi?" her date came out of the car, looking way too gloomy for a guy who's about to date someone.

"There, Haru-chan, he's your date," said Dino, way too cheerful for Haru's liking, "don't worry, I'll be right behind you," he said, trying to comfort the girl as he patted her back. Haru quickly gave Enzio to Dino as Hibird fled toward its owner, then she put her right hand inside her jacket's pocket, blindly looking for her cell phone. If she's going to die today, she at least wanted to tell her family and friends how happy she was to know them.

(Messages)

Haru started typing messages since her parents bought her a cell phone. At first, she only typed important messages, like when she informed her parents she's going to be late, or asking her friends about earlier subjects that she didn't really understand and she used it to type playful messages when she's bored, such as 'Hello! Isn't today a great day for eating cakes? '

Much, much later, after she learnt the importance of using her time wisely, she only sent important messages, (but sometimes she sneakily sent something like 'Hahi! Hibari-san is so scary! Haru wants to go home!' ). So when she found the truth about her date, she quickly typed a message without taking her cell phone out of her pocket (she's an expert at blind-typing now), because it was important.

The message was short, 'Haru's happy we ever met, please don't forget about Haru even if she died.' It was sent to all the numbers listed in her contact list.

[Roller coaster]

Haru's first time riding on a roller coaster was with her cousins, with their parents waiting at a nearby café. Since they were only ten that time, they screamed a lot that their throats hurt. The next time was with her classmate, she screamed really loudly too, but that was fun. And then there was the time she went to an amusement park with Tsuna and others (since he promised both her and Lambo he'd take them there after they returned from the future), all of them screamed, even Gokudera clutched at the safety tightly, if she remembered it right. There was fear, but also something else inside her that time.

And now all the pleasure and excitement melted into fear as she sat on the ride. The seat beside her was sat on by someone she knew way too well. The chain moved, and the car shook a bit, she glanced at her companion.

"Scream into my ears and I'll bite you to death this time, Miura." He said flatly, leaned back, looking for a comfortable position before the car moved slowly. Haru wondered how could he still remembered the time she screamed into his ear, but that thought vanished as the car sped up. For once, Miura Haru didn't scream when riding on a roller coaster, she bite her lower lip and clutched onto Hibari's shirt instead. Hibari's wrinkled shirt and Haru's bitten lip easily brought a misunderstanding when the Cavallone's tenth leader saw them later on.

[Drop Zone]

Drop Zone, is a ride that bring you up to some height, and then dropped itself at various velocity. It was the one ride Haru loved the most. It made her feel ticklish that she laughed whenever she rode on it (this earned her weird looks from others, but she just laughed sheepishly).

Haru waved at Dino (who decided to wait on the ground with Romario) as the ride climbed up, Dino waved back and laughed (amazed at how childish the woman behaved at times), and Haru laughed because he laughed. Somehow their laughter annoyed Hibari.

"Shut up, it's annoying,"

On the ride that usually made her laugh, Haru felt she wanted to cry.

(shoot 'em all!)

They were going to try the haunted house, but since the location's too far from the place they're currently at, they decided to try the arcades instead. They arrived before a shooting stand. Hibari shot her a glance that would be best translated as "it'd be useless…" and she replied by saying (loudly), that she'd get what she wanted.

Sine the ticket that they bought (it was used to play all the rides) didn't include arcade games, Dino paid for them. Haru's target was a small Namehage plushie that was very rare (mainly because not many wanted them and the producer gave up making them already). Since the target's size was small she tried aiming toward a bigger plushie first. Her current target's a bigger black cat plushie with sour face that somehow reminded her of the person who stood under the shade, glaring holes at whoever dared to stare, her boss, her date.

Remembering all the things she'd went through because of him, her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and she shot the plushie with all the anger she felt toward her boss. The plushie fell successfully and she somehow felt thriumphant. She quickly placed the plushie in her pocket after the park's employer handed it to her, and aimed for the Namehage plushie, she grinned widely when she finally got what she wanted.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned her head to see a grinning Dino. "Hahi?" was Haru's question, the blonde man glanced toward his former student and whispered to her,

"why don't you try aiming at his heart, eh, Haru-chan?" he teased, and chuckled once the girl blushed a dark pink.

(going home)

Since it's getting late (Dino managed to persuade Hibari to stay and let Haru enjoyed the night's shows), Dino told Hibari to drive Haru to her house using one of the Cavallone family's cars. The ride home was dead silent that Haru considered getting out of the car and walk home by herself, if it's not because the fact that the roads are already empty.

Once they arrived before Haru's place she sighed in relief, making the man who drove her glared. She stepped out of the car, carrying her belonging, and was about to close the door when Hibari called her.

"You forgot that thing." He said, glancing at the black cat plushie that sat innocently on the backseat. Haru blinked in confusion, she closed the door, then walked to open the door of the backseat. She reached out her hand, hesitated, then turned to the one on the driver seat, she grinned.

"It looks too much like Hibari-san, then Haru thinks it's better to be with Hibari-san," she said, 'because it'd be too scary to look at it at night,' she added inside. She closed the door and ran inside her house. Leaving Hibari staring at her door for a good two minutes, he finally rolled his eyes and drove off.

(author note)

Hauuu….it's tiring, I hope you like it. Sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors. Uuu…review please?


	6. Chapter 6

Standard disclaimer applied

AN: Remember the small Namehage mascot that Haru won from the amusement park?

((Mascot))

Since she was nothing but a young, young, girl, Haru liked to collect cute things, like dolls and key chains, even diaries with cute cover would do, for her own amusement. It doesn't matter whether those things ended up useful or not, she's just happy with seeing them all lined up on their places in her room.

"Ta-raaa! Everyone, this is your new friend, Namehage-chan! Say hello!" she said in a whisper as she took out the little plushie from her pocket.

She tried to put the small thing amongst the other dolls, but it just didn't fit. Then, she decided, if she couldnt leave it in her room, then she'd just take it wherever she went, ah, she's going to put it in her bag later. After all, that could be a reminder, a reminder of that dreadful date. A reminder that she spent a day together with Hibari Kyouya and managed to came back home as a whole.

She kept holding the small plushie as she sat on her bed, thinking about how the date…no, about how the day had been. She twirled the doll as she lay on the mattress.

"…What will happen…to Haru starting from now on?" she whispered to the empty room. The doll fell from her grasp as sleep claimed her.

(*_*_*_*)

Just like how she was so dedicated at being Tsuna's wife in the past, she dedicated her life to do her best at works. And that's why she stayed late for works. Since she lives a double live, both her "work" and the "mafia-related-work" had been neglected.

"Ah, Miura-san, you're still here?" Kusakabe called out her name, making her turned her head. "It's already dark, do you want a ride home?" he offered with a smile, Haru smiled back and shook her head.

"No, Haru is alright, Haru can get home alone," she replied, smiling politely. The man nodded in understanding and walked away. Haru resumed gathering her belongings.

She heard footsteps coming closer.

'Oh, Kusakabe-san is checking on Haru,' she thought.

A knock on the wall and she turned around.

"You're going home with me, Miura." Said the man, staring straight at her eyes, making the woman shivered. "it'd be troublesome if you were to be kidnapped by some random people," he stated doredly, yawning. Haru frowned, why didn't she take Kusakabe's offer earlier, huh?

"You have ten seconds to get ready." He said, turning away, leaving the woman fumbled with her things furiously.

(*_*_*_*)

"hahi.…it really is dark outside…" she said, looking at the night scenery.

"Haru wondered if that cat is sleeping…" she thought out loud as Hibari walked toward that cat. The poor cat immediately ran. "Oh, so it's awake…" she said, nodding to herself.

"Cant you walk in silence?" growled the man before her without turning his head.

"W-well…Haru can go home on her own, there's no need for Hibari-san to escort her." she replied rather smartly, and was replied by silence.

"Shut up. I just want to." He said, sparing a glance toward the brunette. Haru blinked once, twice. She stopped walking, wondering about what the man said. Unfortunately, the man before her noticed this and growled, she yelped.

Home at last.

"Ha…hahi…thanks for accompanying Haru, Hibari-san." She said with a bow. He grunted in response. Now what? It's already late, inviting him in was not a choice. When she was at a loss for words something fled toward her, and she caught it by reflex. "…Hahi?" she questioned, not believing what she saw, and lifted her head.

"That's yours." Said the man simply, referring toward the small cat plushie that was nestled on her hand.

"But Haru gave it to Hibari-san." She replied. She was still surprised he didn't throw it away.

"I don't want it." Ugh, that hurt a little. Why? Haru thought the little thing was cute, even thought it's also scary, because the thing resembled Hibari so much, so why he didn't want it? "Because I don't like it, and I absolutely don't look like that" said the man with a glare. Oops, she spoke as she thought, it seemed. "I'll trade that with this," he showed another plushie in his hand, and began to toss it into the air only to catch it again as it fell, that plushie looked so familiar…

"Namehage-chan!" Haru shrieked in horror. She checked her bag, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone! Haru lifted her head, looking at the man, who (dared she say) looked amused. "Sin..since when? Why?" she asked, amazed at both how her boss was an expert at being stealthy and how rude he was.

"Quickly get inside," he ordered, not bothering to answer her question. "Or do you need me to break the door open for you or something?" he said, obviously irritated by the fact he had to stand on the road at night, waiting for the woman to get inside her house. Haru immediately ran inside.

Hibari turned to leave when he heard the door creaked open.

"Hahi…Does…does Hibari-san like Namehage?" she asked, curious. He raised an eyebrow and brought the thing closer to inspect it.

"…it's weird." He said, squeezing it in his palm roughly, making the woman's jaw dropped. How dare he mock Namehage-chan? "it's just like you." He stated flatly, somehow making the brunette froze, and when she finally came to her sense, she slammed the door shut.

Her knees felt weak and she slide down to the floor, confused. She somehow could feel the man smiling as he walked. Footsteps coming closer toward her, and she lifted her head, only to see her mother looking at her with a concerned expression.

"Haru-chan, your face is red, are you cold?" Haru blushed at that.

(*_*_*_*)

AN: ….the pace changed so abruptly, uuu… ;-; was it too fast? I hope not..but… ah, please forgive the mistakes, uuu! m(_ _)m


	7. Chapter 7

AN: ….uuu…before you guys got mad because the lack of update, can you give me time to explain? (I feel like a husband explaining to his wife after coming home late at night….) I-I had a final exam, so I went on hiatus to study, the exam ended on April, 21, and the result will be out on May, 16th, wish me luck? ^^;

I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

(( Cake ))

Personally, Haru Miura thought cakes are the best. of course she's not the only one who thought about it that way. Along with Kyoko Sasagawa, she would hunt the best cakes from shop to shop once a month. And when they accidentally met Chrome Dokuro on the way, with or without companies, they'd each grabbed her hand and dragged her around.

The moment for the three of them decreased along with the flow of time. At first, it was Chrome who separated herself from them, and went on a journey following Mukuro Rokudo's direction.

"Well…it can't be helped if she's busy…" was what Kyoko said to her one day, smiling tiredly. Chocolate cake with hints of blueberry was her choice for today.

Haru understood that everyone had their own life to live. Playing with her lemon cake, she answered, "Haru understood….", she twirled her fork in the air and put the cake in her mouth, "but, doesn't Kyoko-chan feel lonely?" she asked, peeking at her friend from under her eyelashes. The red haired one chuckled.

"No, because even when I'm alone, I'm going to recall our memories together," she said cheerily, eyes twinkling with amusement, "So, Haru-chan, even if you got yourself a lover to share these cakes with, you better not forget about me or Chrome-chan!" she said, pointing an accusing finger toward the short haired one.

"Ha-hahi? L-l-l-lover? That's still far, far away!" squeaked Haru in defense, dropping her fork in the progress. "A-after all, cake time was Haru's special time, Haru's only going to share it with special persons, like Kyoko-chan, like Chrome-chan, or Lambo, or I-pin!" she declared with a blush on her face, "S-so, there's no way a boy, or a man would be allowed to intrude this special time!" she finished, grabbing her fork and continue eating, ignoring Kyoko's amused laugh.

"Uhm…I'm sure I'll win if we bet on that." Said Kyoko, smiling as she cut her cake to smaller pieces.

"Hahi…?" was Haru's intelligent answer. Bet on what?

"I bet that within the span of five years, someone will manage to intrude that special time." That's a weird thing to bet on and both know that, but both decided to ignore that fact for the sake of amusement. "The loser has to treat the winner cakes as much as she wants!" Kyoko declared, thrusting her right hand toward Haru.

"..Th-then, Haru bet no one will be able to force Haru to spend her precious cake time together!" she said, taking her on the bet, and took her friend's hand in a shake. "It's a deal!"

The next year, both were busy finishing their study that they found it difficult to hang out together, but somehow managed to still eat cakes together.

The next two years, Haru managed to join the Vongola under Hibari's lead, using Reborn's recommendation. Their precious monthly cake time changed into once per two months.

Now, three years after that bet was made, Tsunayoshi Sawada finally gathered enough courage to propose to her friend. She couldn't help feeling a little left behind. The precious cake time was no longer the time for Haru, Kyoko and Chrome.

Haru sighed as she walked inside the cake shop. Her eyes wandered around, wondering which type of cakes should she get. As she passed the window looking outside, her eyes caught a sight of a tiny yellow creature perched upon a nearby tree's branch and she smiled. She walked back toward the shop's entrance, ignoring the shopkeeper's raised eyebrow at her odd behavior and walked for Hibird to fly toward her. She's no longer alone.

Haru walked back toward the shopkeeper and gave her an apologetic smile, she smiled back and shrugged. Haru bent down to look at the cakes beyond the transparent glass before her, Hibird perched safely on her shoulder.

'Hahii…it's always so hard to choose…' thought Haru, eyeing the various type of cakes, she lifted her head and immediately caught the shopkeeper's attention, seeing as the shop was empty for the moment. "Uuum…Haru-no, I mean-I, yes, I would like that one," she said, correction herself quickly in the progress, pointing toward a piece of cake with blueberry on top, "and…and that one…" she pointed toward a piece of pink cake with cherry and pink whipped cream on top.

She saw the shopkeeper's hand moved to grab the cakes and she lifted her head up.

"Would you like to order more, miss?" asked she politely, Haru nodded, and she waited as the customer thought.

"Ha-hahii…do you…do you have traditional snacks here?" she asked shyly, a blush came onto her cheek as she remembered the reason for her request.

The shopkeeper blinked once, then snapped out of her thought and nodded, then she pointed to a side. Feeling foolish, Haru muttered a thank you and went to take a look. The shopkeeper left her as the door jingled, marking the arrival of another customer and greeted them.

"That person doesn't seem like he's up for some sweets, but, then again, because he surely will drink green tea, salty snacks are no-good….hahiii…." muttered a confused Haru, rubbing on her temple. A cute little chirp brought her out of her thoughts and she glanced toward her right shoulder where a bundle of yellow was perched. She moved her left hand, motioning for the little creature to hop on it, and hopped it did.

"Now, Hibird! This is the time where Hibird got the spotlight! Fly and shine! Go and pick the snacks for Hibari-san!" she said to the bird with a serious tone, the bird only chirped and tilted its head cutely. Haru felt stupid.

"Hmm…so it's Hibari-san, huh?" said a familiar voice from behind. Haru jumped and turned to face the owner quickly. And sure enough the owner of that voice was a long red haired young woman, smiling as she waved at her. "It's been so long, Haru-chan! So, I guess I won the bet, didn't I?" said none other than Kyoko Sasagawa cheerfully.

'Oh, right, Kyoko-chan said she's back yesterday….' Haru's thought supplied, but she managed only a squeak.

"Ha-hahi! Th-this is not what Kyoko-chan is thinking about! Haru…Haru….Hi-Hibari-san…uumm…" stammered Haru, blushing brightly. The red haired woman feigned innocence and tilted her head to the side.

"Hmm…what was I thinking about, I wonder?" she said aloud, tapping her finger to her cheek, as if deep in thought, "Oh, right! Chrome-chan, will you come inside?" she turned her face toward the door and Haru started to panicking.

"Kyoko-chan! Seriously, it's not…it's not like there's something between us!" squeaked Haru in her defense, Kyoko ignored it as a purple haired woman entered the shop, followed with a jingle from the bell attached on the door.

"…'Us'…?" was all that Chrome said, Haru gasped and tried to correct her statement. At that point Haru's face was crimson red.

"N-no! It's…. Th-that doesn't mean….! Haru didn't…..! Hahiii! Please believe in Haru!" she said, flailing her arms wildly, forcing Hibird to fly away. The other two ignored her. The shopkeeper could only stare and sighed.

"Ah, that's Hibari-san's bird…" said Chrome softly, pointing toward Hibird. And Haru could see the twinkles in her friends' eyes. The short haired young woman immediately smacked her own face in embarrassment. And that's when her cell phone rang.

"….Hello?" she answered without bother checking the caller's id.

"You have five minutes, Haru Miura." Said the caller, then hung up on the connection. Haru chose to stare at the screen. And…..oh, the 'loud speaker' mode was on. She turned her head toward her friends, who were already in the middle of choosing the cakes.

"It's on you, right, Haru-chan?" said Kyoko, smiling sweetly. Haru nodded weakly.

"W-we…..no, Haru and…Hi-" she gulped, "Haru means…Haru and Hibari-san only drink tea and eat cakes, th-that doesn't necessarily mean there's something between…between us!" she said, fumbling with her wallet, all the while praying for the color to go away from her face.

"Yes, yes, of course Haru-chan, there's nothing, right, Chrome-chan?" was said with a nod.

"Sure, Haru-chan, we believe in you, right, Kyoko-chan?" was said with another nod.

And judging from their tone, Haru was sure they didn't believe her at all. Hibird's chirp sounded like it agreed.

"You're late, Miura-san, what happened?" Kusakabe said as Haru entered the secret gate hidden in the Namimori shrine. The man then fell in step with Haru after the door closed, guiding her to the deepest chamber. He raised an eyebrow at Haru's blushing face.

"…it's nothing, Kusakabe-san…Haru met some friends on the way and lost track of time." There's no need to tell him about the humiliation she'd undergo. Another raised eyebrow, then the man nodded and they were silent for the rest of their walk.

They stood before a big Japanese traditional sliding door. Haru stared at it, fearing her fate. A pat on her shoulder, then Kusakabe was gone. She felt like a soldier abandoned by her mates on the war zone.

She sat on the floor, and knocked on the door. Where's Hibird when she needed some encouragement? A grunted 'come in' was heard and she slid the door using one hand, and bowed slightly.

"Haru's sorry she's late," She said, lifting her head, eyeing the man who leaned on the wall. "Hibari-san." She ended her greeting. He nodded and she stood, walked inside and closed the door. Her eyes caught a sight of Hibird, sitting on its owner's head, nestled contentedly between the black locks. She eyed it carefully and couldn't help to think that she's been betrayed by her comrade.

Haru immediately sat before the kettle, cup, and other things that were needed for making the tea. She opened the bag she's been carrying and pulled out a box of cakes out, and began placing the cakes on several saucers.

"For today's snack Haru already choose….Hahi?" she was cut off by a hand placing a tea cup before her. she lifted her head, stopping her activities to meet his bored face.

"You're so slow, that one is already cold, I don't want it." He said with a yawn, then moved to make another cup of tea. Haru frowned. Oh well…whatever… maybe he poured it earlier and it cooled down. Cold tea was a no-no, so he made Haru drink it. What an ungrateful man.

Haru reached out her hand to get the cup and was surprised when she found out that the cup was still warm. She blushed. 'Ha-hahii…he…he certainly can be sweet when he cared….' She thought, then hurriedly shook her head to make the thoughts go away. It couldn't be…. She peeked at him, who was staring at her expectantly.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up with the snacks, Miura." He ordered with a frown. Haru immediately continue what she was doing, smiling as she did so.

AN: uuu…I have a question….I already ran out of ideas to create the "events'' so, so….uuu….can I just skip straight to the proposal? Uuu? Uuu? ;A;

If you're going to say "No, you cant!" then give me some ideas, please! OTL

Thank you for RnR~


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Uuu…hi? OwO;; I could offer you tons of reasons that would look good and win your sympathy so you wouldn't get angry at me, but here I offer you the ugly truths: I was feeling lazy. OTL I'm so, so, sorry.

((Shoes))

When she was three, Haru remembered she had a pair of pink shoes with a cute bunny on top. It was a gift from her father, for something so simple she forgot what it was already, but she did remember how proud her parents look when she was able to wear it on her own and walked.

The shoes would let out a happy squeaky sound whenever she walked. She remembered how happy she was about it that she would run around the town park for an hour just to listen to the squeaky sounds. She cried when the shoes didn't fit her anymore, and thus she hated the fact that she grew fast.

At the age of thirteen, girls her age started to experiment with fashion, that of course including shoes. Those who tried to appear tomboy would wear sneakers, not caring whether the style is designed for boys or girls. Those who tried to appear feminine would wear cute high-heeled shoes.

Haru tried both out of curiosity, both didn't suit her liking. The sneakers are too heavy, too rough, unfit for her feet. The high-heeled shoes are too flashy, unbalanced, and more importantly, they hurt her feet. She opted for a pair of casual dress shoes with flat heels.

When she first met Kyoko (thanks to Tsuna), she checked out her shoes. It was a pair of classic style shoes with flat heels, they looked cute on her. And then when she met Chrome, she also checked her shoes. Boots, they looked too rough, too big, unfit for the girl, but Haru said nothing.

Rough shoes belong to strong people, she didn't belong in that group. Cute shoes belong to beautiful people, she also didn't belong there. Or that's what she thought.

(*_*_*_*)

"Why (pant) did (pant) it (pant) be-becooommmeee (pant) like thiiiiissss!" screamed Haru in protest as she ran away from the crowd hurriedly. Eyebrows scrunched up in annoyance, Haru was ready to explode and curse the next person she met.

At the age of twenty four, Miura Haru lived double lives, a completely normal employee in a designing section of a completely normal company; a completely abnormal employee in an investigating section of an equally abnormal 'company' called The Foundation under the name of Vongola Famiglia.

It was supposed to be a grand party. She was supposed to pose as a harmless civilian while keeping watch over another family's head and report it later on. It was easy. Or so it was supposed to be. Somehow a fight broke and Haru had a suspicion that it was her boss who broke it. And the other guests already saw them coming together, so, if there's anything, she'd also be suspected. What a lucky day! Find out where the sarcasm was, please.

At this exact time, she was wearing a pair of elegant high-heeled shoes, a gift from Chrome. As she run, Haru briefly wondered why the hell didn't she wear the one from Kyoko-chan? That one got flat heels, after all, Kyoko was kind of clumsy, and you couldn't let a mafia boss' wife fell on the ground because of a pair of high-heeled shoes right? She stopped running.

"Didn't I tell you to run, Miura?" said a voice behind her with the tone that said 'you're so slow, Miura'. Haru resisted the strong urge to growl, that would be un-lady like. He stepped forward and from the momentary light that came from the explosions on the background, Haru could see the bloodied tonfas in his hand.

"Ha-haru did!" she squeaked, yes, she was running with all her might, until one of the heels broke. Poor fragile little thing…and she kind of like these shoes, too… She mourned, looking at the broken shoe being craddled in her hands. "Hahi?" unknown to Haru, when she was busy reminiscing, Hibari already walked toward her. The young woman's cheeks were getting warm as she estimated the distance between them. Too close, too close!

"Give it to me." He said simply, referring to her shoes. Images of scene from an old romantic manga flashed through Haru's mind. Yes, the one where the hero helped the heroine with breaking the other heel so she could walk again. That one, yes.

When Haru didn't reply, Hibari quickly snatched the shoe, and threw it away. Haru immediately screamed. "There, give me the other one and you can walk just fine." He said emotionlessly.

"That's a gift!"

Moving in rage, Haru hastily took off her other shoe and threw it toward Hibari's direction. The man easily avoided that attack, but not the one behind him. Someone tried to sneak behind Hibari, and judging by the sight of his angered expression and the weapon at hand (what was that? Too dark…) he was going to attack Hibari.

The stranger's eyes twitched and flame erupted from the ring on his hand. By the time Hibari turned to fight the man, Haru was already away.

"Hibari-san owes Haru a pair of new shoes!" was the last sentence she shouted that night. A grunt was the reply.

(*_*_*_*)

The next day, a few scared store clerks were forced to assist an annoyed Hibari Kyouya in an impossible task: finding a suitable pair of shoes for Miura Haru without knowing the size. The bravest one stepped forward and told the man that it's an impossible thing to do, if it's about helping him to choose which model, it'd be easy, but the size? That's what he said, minus the trembling and occasional 'uhh's in between each words. He was silenced with a glare.

"…Kyoya-san?" called Kusakabe, who felt foolish standing in between racks of women's shoes. "Do you want me to investigate about…" started with an uneasy tone, then paused because the lack of better words to say, a cough to clear his throat then, he continued, "about Miura-san's…shoe size?" He finished his offer, and Hibari stared at him.

An awkward silence erupted.

The awkwardness of the awkward moment was prolonged.

"That would be creepy." Was Hibari's answer he then returned to glare at the racks of shoes, as if they would provide him some answer.

A soft voice caught the man's attention, Hibari lazily turned to the owner of that single voice. Shorthaired, no. Pineapple, check. It's Chrome Dokuro. Nervously, she pointed toward a pair of shoes nearby and said,

"That one is the same size with Haru-chan."

"And why are you telling me?" eyebrows twitched, lips set in a frown.

"B-because..ah, there's a message from Mukuro-sama…um..he said…" a nervous glance to the side, "It's funny to see you get this frustrated because of a woman, it's pitiful, Hibari Kyoya…." The girl's mouth twisted into an annoying smirk, and Mukuro's trademarked laugh came out of her mouth.

By the time Hibari brought out his tonfas, the girl vanished already.

(*_*_*_*)

The doorbell rang and Haru immediately rinsed her mouth after she brushed her teeth. Her mother's out buying groceries and her father was taking a light jog with the uncle next door. The woman slipped and fell on the bathroom's tiled floor and got up with a pained groan.

She ran toward the front door, whispering prayers about how she wished whoever it was still got some patience in their heart. She yanked the door open, panting slightly.

"…Miura-san? Are you alright?" A nod was the answer. "Ah, that's good, I'm here for the delivery, please sign here." He said, offering Haru a clipboard with paper on it.

'Delivery? That's rare…is it from grandma?' was exactly what Haru thought. The woman smiled and signed the paper, eyes darted around, looking for the thing that's being delivered.

"Please wait for a while, Miura-san, I'll get your things." With a nod, he turned and walk toward a car parked before the house. While Haru was busy checking her nails (oh, they've gotten long, she had to cut them later), the sound of tires gliding on the ground and Haru lifted her head.

Boxes of different colors were piled upon a metal trolley and Haru felt sorry for him, because the expression on his face told her the thing's heavy. With a pained smile, he put down the box one by one.

"There you go, Miura-san. Have a nice day." He said finally, nodded once, and walked toward the car once again, pushing the trolley with a hunched back. Haru was left with staring at the boxes around her feet. With a sigh, she bent down and took the box one by one. They're light, so maybe the trolley was the one that's heavy, she thought.

Once she was done getting the boxes inside, she began opening them from the one nearest to her. Light yellow shoes. Light brown shoes. Dark brown.

….

…

…

…

Why?

Did…did Haru unconsciously ordered this much from the online shop?

Had Haru's mother gone mad and was in the mood for being stylish?

Was…was this a prank? Yes, this got to be one. Someone's trying to make Haru scared. Alright, Haru, breath. In, out, in, out. Okay.

A paper fell out of the box when Haru decided to turn the thing around, looking for a hint.

'I owe you nothing.' Was what written on it, and Haru shivered.

(*_*_*_*)

"Yes, this is Sawada's household, Kyoko speaking, how may I help you?" a cheerful voice answered.

'Kyoko-chan…thank you for the prank….though Haru didn't recall we ever declared the prank war…' a trembling voice replied.

"….?" Silence.

'Hahaha…Kyoko-chan really got Haru there…Haru thought they were from someone else…those shoes…how did Kyoko-chan know about them?' a nervous laugh.

"….Haru-chan? Did something happen? Whatever it is, I had no part in it, you know? Ah, speaking of shoes, Kusakabe-san called me yesterday to ask about…hello? Hello? Haru-chan?"

The line went dead.

That morning, Miura Haru went to work wearing her old, beaten sneakers. Too afraid to even touch the shoes she got, she left them on the doorway and was scolded by her mother because of it.

That evening, seeing the shorthaired woman didn't use any of those shoes, Hibari Kyoya went to the company that took care of the delivery to 'ask' something.

That night, Sawada Tsunayoshi's wife got an idea about a new prank for Haru.

In the other part of the town, Miura Haru was unable to sleep until dawn.

((Author Note))

Uuum….so, yeah, June the 30th is getting near…I'm nervous….anyway, when I said proposal at the previous chapter, I didn't mean they're going to marry that soon, you know? :O

Thank you for being so patient with me! See you! Ah! Uuu…sorry for all the errors, ok? :3


	9. Chapter 9

AN: I hate to re-start it from zero…. ;A; Ah, but all the blames are mine, for being such a lazy bum, and for losing my datas, sorry.

(*_*_*_*)

((Theory))

As a student, it was Haru's job to remember all theories stated in the textbook, and then either used it in tests, or proved its value through the assigned lab experiments. Haru couldn't say that was her favourite. Mixing unfamiliar chemicals traumatized her as she once made a hole through the desk for dropping half a bottle of an acid. Even more, Haru couldn't understand Kyoko's reason to love that kind of thing. She once asked, but regretted it afterward.

"Well, you see, everyone always have that interesting expression every time something happened, it's fun watching them." Was said with a smile. Ever since, Haru didn't feel like questioning anything about her behavior.

Back then, Haru would like to prove all those theories to be wrong, that way, the exams' subject would be fewer and easier, right? Now, as she grew older, she realized that was a foolish thing to hope, because surely, those theories had been tested and proved. However, as an adult, right now, there'a this one theory that she desperately wanted to prove wrong.

'Suspension bridge theory?' asked the voice from the other end, 'The one that states that human could misinterpret fear to love? What about it?' the familiar voice asked back, Haru fidgeted, feeling really up to just roll on her mattress, rewind the time and forgot about the nagging voice in her head that prompted her to call her best friend.

"Hahii…it's just… Haru feels like she's acting weird around s-someone lately…" a pause, Haru gulped as she thought about what to say after, the red haired woman on the other end snickered, istantly making the short haired woman pouted, "D-don't laugh! And…and…Haru thinks it's because she's afraid toward h-him…and then Haru's brain accidentally translated it into…something else…."

A laugh, then, 'So, I take it you're in love with Hibari-san, Haru-chan?'

"Umm….well…" Haru could feel her cheeks heating up, "Ha-hahiii! Wh-wh-why Hibari-san?!" she almost screamed at her best friend's unjust accusation. She immediately got the hugest plush doll that she had and embraced it tightly in an attempt to calm her raging heart. She got a louder, sweeter laugh as an answer.

'Sounds to me like you're in denial, Haru-chan!' the rest of the conversation was filled with Kyoko's laugh and Haru's indecipherable blabber.

((Omiai))

A marriage arrangement was a confusing little thing, young Haru Miura thought. And that thought stayed comfortably inside her mind even until she turned into an adult, albeit a childish one. As a child, she pondered why her parents happily married even thought they barely know each other. That thought keep haunting her mind even as she jumped down from the top of the town park's slide, ignoring the shrieks of all elderly passerby (she was scolded later on that day for neglecting her own safety). And why, she added to her train of thoughts, did that big sister from the house next door cried when it was decided she'd undergo the same marriage arrangement? How difficult, the young girl thought as her lips formed a pout.

Those thoughts were kept and forgotten once she got new things to think over, homework was the finest example. But as she grew older (and she believed she had grown to be wiser and way more mature) , after facing death in various form everyday, she began to think things more seriously. And then, there's also that matter with her parents wanting a grandchild or two ('or three, three is a charm after all, and four would also be great, scratch that, four is unlucky number, make it five instead, yes, yes, that'd be good,' her dear, dear mother once said dreamily). Maybe that was shat triggered her to approved her parents to arrange a marriage meeting for her. It's okay. Her parents wouldn't purposely choose a bad person anyway. And if she didn't like the partner chosen , she could always reject him, anyway….

"Oi" called Death, disguised as a man, standing right at the opening that goes to her cubicle, effectively blocking her only escape. Haru's heart skipped a beat.

Haru was silently, diligently, working in her other, normal job that was used to disguise the "other", not so normal job. She was frozen, so stiff that her hearing was blocked until Death slammed her desk and she flinched.

"Y-yes, Hibari-san? Is…is there something that Haru can help?" she stuttered as she saw his glare. Death was nicknamed and noted as Hibari Kyoya in her mental dictionary ever since she first met him.

Haru was surprised. It's so rare for him to go out to that building, even though it's also linked to the base under the Namimori shrine's ground. Because, of course, like any normal companies, it has employees, which mean there were people, and that leads to crowding. And it's an understatement that he, Hibari Kyoya, dislike any form of crowding. So, that left a question about why he was there at that very moment, glaring, scaring Haru for her life.

"Check your phone." Was the simple order that was accompanied with a glare. Haru proceed to rummage her bag, looking for the tiny device mentioned earlier. All the while, the other employees (who were all the member of Vongola in disguise) were whispering one another, discussing silently about why is their big boss who rarely came to that office was present. They were silenced by the said big boss's epic, epic glare.

"Hahi!" a squeak came out, indicating that Haru finally understood. Four missed calls and six messages, all from the same number, the Death himself had called for her and she cheerfully had ignored him.

(*_*_*_*)

"What do you mean with this?" said Hibari, putting down a white envelope, inside is a letter that Haru wrote, asking for a day off, by that she meant a "real" day off, without "this" company business nor "that" mafia business.

Just her luck, how could that letter ended up in Hibari's hand? She purposely placed it on Kusakabe's desk in hope that Hibari wouldn't find out. After all, some of her co-workers also sent their permission letters to Kusakabe, and it worked just fine, because the great Hibari Kyoya was not the one to deal with such trivial matter. So why did it had to be her?

"W-well, Haru was wondering if she could take a day off or m-maybe two?" Haru tried, glancing fearfully at her superior. The glare only become more intense and she instantly wondered if her sun block had melted already. Haru's heart instantly beat faster. Thump, thump, thump, thumping so hard it's getting annoying.

"I know what you want from this," said Hibari, waving Haru's letter and let it fell to his desk a few seconds later, "but what for, is what I wanted to know." Again, not a question, Hibari Kyoya didn't question anything, he demanded an answer, and if one couldn't provide the right answer, one shall not get close within five meters radius.

Did her father and mother did some misdeed and now she's bound to pay for their mistake? Was it a curse? That's it, that reminded her, she forgot to pray lately, she really should make it into her daily routine, the base was under the Namimori shrine after all. How could she forgot? It's no wonder she had this kind of luck, the God must be mad at her….

"Well?" said Hibari, urging her to answer. Haru's breath hitched and she found herself avoiding his gaze. "Answer me, Miura." Haru clenched her eyes shut, trying to still her trembling hands.

Why must he stared at her? Why? Why? Why? Of course, eye contact is a good thing, once in a while, for a few seconds it's ok, but…but…why must he stared like that for so long? Didn't he know it'd make some people uneasy? To say that Haru was at a loss of world was an understatement.

"Miura…" his word sounded more like a growl. Haru jerked her head upright, and tried to match his glare. Maybe the pressure was getting to her, maybe the atmosphere was right to do that, or maybe Haru was losing her sanity.

"P-please don't look at Haru like that!" She stammered out finally. Hibari only raised an eyebrow, as if saying 'like what?', and Haru blushed darkly. "W-well, like that!" said Haru quickly. Haru averted her eyes away, realizing there's no way she could outwin her boss' glare. Haru's eyes widened in realization. No one behave that way toward Hibari Kyoya and get home in a complete piece.

She's so dead. Her heart beats faster and faster as if sensing its end coming.

Oh, God, why did she do that? It's nowhere near that time of the month right? No, it isn't. That must've mean the God had abandoned her and that was the signal for a reaper to come and…

The sound of a chair being moved and footsteps getting further cut her train of thought. And Haru realized that Hibari was standing at the door. She blinked, confused. Hibari turned his head and told her.

"We'll continue this later. Spending any more time talking with a herbivore won't do me any good." As he finished saying that, he opened the door and stepped outside. Leaving a stunned Haru to her own.

"Hahii….?" She was so relieved to be alive she could not stand and decided to stay at the room for a little while.

That night, Haru told her parents that her boss hadn't approved of her taking a day off, so the omiai had to be cancelled, that, or they could cut short the omiai, from a whole day to a few hours, and then Haru and her arranged partner could continue talking, or even go on a date, on another day.

(*_*_*_*)

AN: I cant give you a reason decent enough to gain your apologies, but…Uuuhm… well… since tomorrow is a happy day for me, will you please accept this chapter as it is? ;A;


End file.
